The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-06-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The Irish Race in America. By Capt Ed
to the effect that, 1--WE must go from home
to learn the news" The proverb is some
what musty, but fits the present volume
which gives a prominence to the Irish race
of which few had knowledge before. For
example, we here learn, for the first time,
that Americans of English descent number
only about four millions and half, while
those of Irish descent are three times as nu-
merous. This is not so complimentary to
the Irish as we could desire. II they are in
the whole country so much more numerous,
they ought to have dominated it throughout
in religion, politics, war and social life.
The Irish are large and respectable ele-
ment of American life, but we believe that
they are not so numerous as the gallant
Capt. Condor assumes them to be. New
York; Ford's National Library)
The Record of the Army of the Potomac,
By Carswell Mcclellan, on the staff of Gen.
A. A. Humphrey. This book is written with
purpose. That purpose is to yindicate the
regulations of Generals Meade, Warren and
Humphrey, to which injustice is alleged to
have been done in Grants Memoirs and in
the Military History of Gen. Badeau. The
contention of our author is that these two
works have a remarkable resemblance. The
same views and opinions are held by
each writer, and usually the nara
tive in one is only a repetition, am
plification or epitome Of the other In each
there is a studied detraction of Generals
Meade, Warren and Humphrey. The dispo-
sition to detract from the services and repu-
tation of Gen. Meade is not so evident as in
the case of Gen. Warren. But it is clear
enough on careful inspection that Gen.
Grant felt that Gen. Meade was in his way,
and yet thought that the objections to his
removal were greater than those to his reten-
tion and so he was retained to the embarrass-
ment of Grant and to the injury of the Army
which had to be directed through its general
(Meade). But the hostile animus of Grant,
Sheridan, and Badeau toward Gen. Warren
is declared to be patent to any one. who will
examine the Record Of the Army. General
charges and insinuations are made, but no
specific ones which were, or could be, sus-
tanned. After his brilliant victory at Five
Forks, he was removed from his command
of the Fifth Corps by Gen. Sheridan, as au-
thorized by Gen. Grant. For years he was
denied justice, and even a count of inquiry.
Finally, Gen. Humphrey, Chief of Staff, and
later on, corps commander, had scant JUS
tice melted out to him. He is not indeed di-
rectly assailed as was Warren, but he was
ignored or sighted.
Sheridan, on the other hand, is Grants
favorite and lauded on every occasion. His
movements are magnifed and his mistakes
CLOSED over. Such is the contention of Col
Mcclellan who does not deal in generalities
but compares records, orders, histories and
memoirs. There is, apparently, therefore
some ground for the authors criticisms and
they will doubtless modify previous opinions
The vindication of Gen. Warren seems am
pie. Gen. Meade needed none.
1t would be too much to expect entire
agreement among soldiers as to the compar-
alive merit and services of commanders in
the field. A temperate statement of differ
ent views is therefore in order, and will
serve to clear the ground for future histo-
rians. Boston and New York: Houghton,
Miffiin e. Co.; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony